Went past Ol’Java on a day where we were at Lucky Plaza — did a bit of a search online about them and decided to make a mental note to return for a meal another time. Ol’Java takes over the former premises of Gading Street Food — Gading Street Food having made its move to 313@Somerset, taking over the former premises of Tok Tok Indonesian Soup House at Basement 3 of the mall. Ol’Java in fact takes up two shops unit in Lucky Plaza; the main shop unit at #02-63 is where the kitchen, counter and some dine-in seatings are at — they also have another space at #02-74 that is dedicated as additional dine-in seating which was not open when we made our visit on a weekend lunch service. The space is decked in a way that is more functional than for form — simple wooden tables and stools being the furniture of choice for their dine-in seats. The menu at Ol’Java features a good variety of Indonesian fare — the signature offerings at Ol’Java includes their Nasi Campur Legend Surabaya and their Traditional Nasi Kuning; they also do offer other familiar grilled and deep-fried dishes such as that of Grilled Chicken and Crispy Fried Madura Duck with Rice just to name a few. The menu also has sections dedicated to Street Snacks, Soups & Curry and Sides & Vegetables; the list of beverages include coffee, tea and canned drinks. Indonesian cakes sourced from Ol’Crumb are also available at Ol’Java as well.

Having skimmed through the menu on the items being served up at Ol’Java, we found ourselves going for the Traditional Nasi Kuning. The Traditional Nasi Kuning at Ol’Java comes with a choice of either Chicken, Beef or Complete (both Chicken and Beef); we opted for the Chicken option. For those who are unfamiliar with Nasi Kuning, the dish is also sometimes named Nasi Kunyit — translate into English as Turmeric Rice. This is also why the rice bears a yellow hue — the colour coming directly from the use of turmeric in its preparation. The Traditional Nasi Kuning (Chicken) also comes with fried chicken, shreds of omelette, candied Tempeh, as well as a Perkedel (i.e. Begedil; also available as an ala-carte item sold in minimum order of three pieces in the Street Snacks section of the menu). Digging into the rice, we found the flavoured rice to come pretty fragrant from turmeric added; one that worked well with the other elements on the plate — sufficiently moist and well-cooked. The fried chicken that accompanied the dish comes served in a form close to what one would expect out of an Ayam Penyet — while the chicken itself wasn’t smashed and the flesh can be a little bit on the drier side on certain parts, the exterior was crisp and that was further enhanced by the inclusion of the crumbs of fried batter that was included atop for more texture. The shreds of fried omelette though looking generic was actually pretty fluffy; a good accompaniment to the rice and the Sambal Balado that came on the side — the Sambal Balado being especially spicy considering how it had a good flavour of raw chili padi and gave a good kick of spiciness that tingles the tastebuds even for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. Having a bit of that candied tempeh on the side does help to alleviate some of that spiciness induced by the Sambal Balado; it carried a malty sweetness and a good crunch which created a good contrast of flavour and texture to the dish, while the Perkedel was absolutely on-point with its light and crisp exterior, as well as the soft and fluffy potato filling within without being particularly greasy. Overall, a pretty well-executed plate of Nasi Kuning with other elements that we really enjoyed.

Whilst we had only given the Traditional Nasi Kuning (Chicken) a try during our visit to Ol’Java, we have also heard pretty good things about their other dishes such as the Chicken Satay — does seem to be a spot that one should considering dining at with a few other friends to try as many items that they have to offer. No doubt that we have not been to Indonesia to try their cuisine as it is where it is originated from, but Ol’Java does seem to serve up some pretty authentic Indonesian cuisine that is worth making a trip to Lucky Plaza for. We had also tried their Kopi Mantan during our visit to Ol’Java — a cold Indonesian Milk Coffee described in the menu to come with Gula Melaka and Fresh Milk; something which we found to be a little similar to Ipoh White Coffee in a certain way considering how the Gula Melaka wasn’t particularly prominent here (not sure if it was intended to be either). With prices of the mains ranging from $7.50 (the lowest priced dish being the Ayam Geprek Sambal Ala Bu Rudy With Rice) to $15.30 (the most expensive dish being the Deep Fried Black Tilapia Fish with Rice), the food at Ol’Java may be a little bit on the high side considering what one orders here — that being said, it still feels like somewhat of a reasonable price considering how Indonesian cuisine is usually priced in Singapore anyway. We are definitely keen to return to give their other items such as the Chicken Satay and the Crispy Fried Madura Duck with Rice a go some day; a spot that one should consider visiting if Indonesian cuisine is their thing!